We're Sure Nintendo Will Have No Issues At All With This New PC Creature Battler

How does that old phrase go, "you cut one head off Hydreigon, two will take its place"? It's something like that. Either way, on a totally unrelated note, you remember that shameless Pokémon rip-off 'Pickmos' that was removed from Steam a few weeks back? Well, there's another primed and ready to fill its place.

Olympus Rangers is an upcoming PC creature battler from developer Mechano and publisher Jandusoft. Its debut trailer launched yesterday (thanks for the heads up, IGN) and it looks... familiar.

Maybe it's the opening shot of the Scarlet & Violet-esque setting, the round battle arena or the numerous creatures that have a faint whiff of 'legally distinct' about them, but Olympus Rangers feels very Pokémon.

According to its Steam page, this one will see you heading to the Olympus battle arena with your 'Olys' creatures in tow, ready to take on opponents in a series of turn-based battles. There are 60 different Olys to choose between (it doesn't look like there's any exploring or catching to be found here), with designs ranging from 'sparky Rapidash' to 'round Greninja'.

All of the creatures, their moves and your avatar are fully customisable — the trailer actively encourages modding, and even has a database where you'll be able to upload designs — and battles can be played out in either 2D or 3D, which, we must admit, is an idea we wish Pokémon would take on board.

There's still no official release date on Olympus Rangers just yet, though we'd be surprised if Nintendo and The Pokémon Company aren't at least taking a cursory glance over some of those creature designs and battle mechanics. Maybe the modding and battle focus will be enough for this one to actually make it to launch, eh? We'll just have to wait and see.

What do you make of this latest Pokémon-like? Do you reckon it'll make it to launch, unnoticed? Let us know in the comments.

[source store.steampowered.com]

Jim came to Nintendo Life in 2022 and, despite his insistence that The Minish Cap is the best Zelda game and his unwavering love for the Star Wars prequels (yes, really), he has continued to write news and features on the site ever since.